D'Antoni's time in Los Angeles will be remembered largely for the injuries to superstar shooting guard Kobe Bryant and struggles with team chemistry that defined the past two seasons. He took the Lakers to the 2013 playoffs, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round without Bryant.

Center Dwight Howard, once viewed as the heir to Bryant's throne as the Lakers' premier player, left in free agency last offseason to the Houston Rockets. This season, the team with three future Hall of Famers (Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash) on its roster stumbled to the worst record (27-55) for the franchise since moving to Los Angeles. Bryant replacement Jodie Meeks, on a $1.55 million salary, was the team's leading scorer with 1,209 points.

"Given the circumstances, I don't know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a news release. "On behalf of the Lakers, we thank Mike for the work ethic, professionalism and positive attitude that he brought to the team every day. We wish him the best of luck."

Because of the struggles, D'Antoni was subject to much criticism from Lakers fans, particularly after it became clear the Lakers would miss the playoffs this season for the third time in 38 years. Leading the charge was Magic Johnson, the Lakers legend and former owner who now is an analyst for ESPN.

"Happy days are here again!" Johnson tweeted after the news. "Mike D'Antoni resigns as the Lakers coach. I couldn't be happier!"

D'Antoni has a 455-426 record in 12 seasons as a head coach with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Lakers. But he has only won five playoff series, all with the Suns in a three-year stretch from 2005 to 2007.

The Lakers said a search for a replacement will begin immediately, though no timetable has been set.